Speed Climbing with Bill Briggs
June 9, 2005
5.10b/c has been the nemesis grade for me in Eldorado Springs Canyon. I seem to fall off climbs of that grade with remarkable consistency and almost always on my first try. I had laboriously gone back to most of these climbs and settled the score and now I wanted to get even more competent at these routes. To measure my competency I wanted to climb a number of these routes, one after the other with speed and confidence. To this end I met Bill Briggs at 4:30 p.m. in Eldorado on a Thursday afternoon. The weather looked very threatening and in fact would drizzle a bit for at least some of the time on each of the routes.
We started with Diffraction (10a/b, but felt like 10c my first time when I fell off) to Metamorphosis (10b). I led Diffraction and probably pulled too hard on this route for I had a pain in my left elbow for the rest of the afternoon. Fortunately it must have been a muscle issue because it went away by the next day. The cold temperatures (50 degrees) and complete lack of a warm-up probably caused this injury. I led the pitch in under ten minutes and Bill followed in seven. He then led the very exciting, tricky, exposed and runout Metamorphosis in 13.5 minutes. I followed and we just coiled the ropes over our shoulders, stayed roped together, and downclimbed the Bomb (5.4) to the Boulder Direct (5.5) down to the base of Tagger.
Bill led the first pitch of Tagger (5.9) with just two pieces of gear in under seven minutes. I followed in 2.5 minutes, grabbed the rack and headed for the crux 10c roof on the second pitch. It was my third time doing this roof in the last two weeks and I had it pretty wired, though it still makes me work. I completed the lead and setting up the belay in just over 10 minutes. Bill followed lightning fast and we unroped, coiled the rope and descended back to the road and then over to the base of March of Dimes’ first pitch (10a).
Things were a zoo on the Bastille despite the weather and the Bastille Crack was taken by my friend Stefan and his partner Eric. I said hi to Stefan and he said he was heading for Outer Space. We wanted that route as well. Normally we’d try the alternate approach of Werk Sup (5.8), but that was taken as well. Hence, I led up the first pitch of March of Dimes and then up broken ground (probably 5.5) to the left of Werk Supp to the top of that pitch and then around to the right to the top of the second pitch of the Bastille Crack. We arrived well ahead of Eric, who was leading the first two pitches of the Bastille Crack as one.
Bill followed quickly and then led the first pitch of Outer Space in 9m19s. I followed in 6m38s. This pitch is so cool and so fun. Really neat, unintuitive stemming allows for passage up a very steep dihedral. I grabbed the gear and led the second pitch (10b/c) as it drizzled on me the entire time. This was the slowest lead of the day and took me over 15 minutes. Bill followed in under 9 minutes and the entire 4-climb, 9-pitch link-up took us 2h25m14s.
That was fun. Now it’s time to get back to harder routes. I need to work on Eldo 10d’s now…
|
Location |
Split |
Total elapsed time |
|
Base of Diffraction |
00:00 |
0:00:00 |
|
I finish leading Diffraction |
09:24 |
0:09:24 |
|
Bill finishes following Diffraction |
07:01 |
0:16:25 |
|
Bill finishes leading Metamorphosis |
13:34 |
0:30:10 |
|
I finish following Metamorphosis |
08:44 |
0:38:54 |
|
Bill starts leading Tagger’s first pitch |
10:14 |
0:49:09 |
|
I start following Tagger’s first pitch |
06:50 |
56:00 |
|
I start leading Tagger’s second pitch |
02:30 |
58:30 |
|
Bill starts following Tagger’s second pitch |
10:04 |
1:08:34 |
|
Bill finishes following Tagger’s second pitch |
07:31 |
1:16:05 |
|
We coil, descend, I lead the first pitch of Outer Space and then continue to the top of the Bastille’s second pitch. |
20:24 |
1:36:30 |
|
Bill starts leading the first pitch of Outer Space |
08:38 |
1:45:08 |
|
I start following the first pitch of Outer Space |
09:19 |
1:54:27 |
|
I start leading the second pitch of Outer Space |
06:38 |
2:01:05 |
|
Bill starts following the second pitch of Outer Space. |
15:26 |
2:16:32 |
|
Bill finishes following the second pitch of Outer Space. |
08:42 |
2:25:14 |